As self-described " TikTok refugees" pour onto the Chinese social media app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, some foreign netizens are already running up against the country's extensive censorship apparatus. Newsweek reached out to Xiaohongshu with a request for comment via a general contact email address.

On the heels of TikTok's looming shutdown on January 19 over its ownership in the U.S. (unless the Supreme Court intervenes), it looks like another American users are flocking to a Chinese app called Xiaohongshu as people become less optimistic that TikTok can overturn U.

As the potential US TikTok ban approaches, American content creators are turning to Xiaohongshu (RedNote), a Chinese app akin to Instagram and Pintere

Chinese-owned TikTok is set to be banned in the United States on Jan. 19, 2025, and another Chinese-owned app is welcoming American "TikTok refugees."

Several social media apps have appearing high in app store chart rankings as a potential U.S. ban hangs over the heads of TikTok and its American users.

With ByteDance-owned TikTok facing imminent ban in the US this week, users in America are switching to another Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu or RedNote which has seen a surge in downloads over

ByteDance has until January 19th to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner, or see the app banned in America. As the chances of a ban have grown, following the Supreme Court’s decision on January 17th to uphold a sell-or-ban law passed last year,

RedNote was launched in China in 2013 and has registered 300 million monthly active users.The RedNote app is currently valued at $17 billion.

The Chinese app’s new American users are connecting directly with their Chinese counterparts at a time when the two countries are interacting less overall.

The U.S. Supreme Court is upholding a congressional nationwide ban on the app that would impact more than 170 million users, including some from San Antonio.

TikTok has become another battleground showcasing China-US tensions, with President Joe Biden's administration accusing the app of allowing Beijing to collect data and spy on users -- claims denied by China and TikTok's owner ByteDance.